In anticipation of sunshine and good things to come, I painted my latest piece "Spring Rhapsody". It is a painted piece. I used acrylic, oil, spray paint, chalk and charcoal to create the effects. The piece is so big, you have to use your whole body to paint, which is cool and a big departure from the small watercolors I was doing.

I first painted the board and used a damp paper towel to create a stained glass appearance. I hit the red up with a thick red oil paint for depth. I then used black spray paint to trace out shapes that I saw. After using the black spray paint, I noticed a bucket of chalk that my son had left out in the rain. Using the knowledge from my waitressing days (that wet chalk makes the brightest colors), I colored over the dried spraypaint. After allowing the chalk to dry and become it's permanent color, I splattered thin acrylic over the lines. Allowing those to dry, I took a palette knife and spread some white on like drifting clouds. Then I turned the canvas upright, so that the "clouds" would drip, creating a multi-dimensional effect.

It reminds me of the spring, with winter behind it. The dark colors are covered by the lighter emerging colors coming from it and paints in pinks, siennas and yellow are dancing across it, like rays of sunlight. "Spring Rhapsody":